My family plays Dirty Santa every year and we have the best time. But ... someone always claims that we aren't doing it right and who knows -- we're probably not.

I've played for twenty- five years and with many different families and co-workers and others. It seems every group has their own version ( and that's ok), as long as everyone knows the rules and agrees before the game begins. It's never a big issue, we are always having too much fun, but I've noticed two main areas that different groups differ on. The first is whether player one draws first or last and the biggest area ( by far) of discrepancy seems to be on how a particular gift is finally retired. Thanks to the following post, I finally understand what " 3 times," means and am glad to know it is not what my family believed it to be.

Read on for a complete and detailed guide to playing Dirty Santa and if you haven't tried this game - I highly recommend it.